Expect of Us
by 1seddiefan
Summary: On her way home from the Institute, Clary ends up coming across a depressed looking Alec smoking. Unsure of what to do, she strikes up a conversation with Alec, finding out more about his history and views in return. Post COLS. One-shot.


Clary walked down the sidewalk, but something caught her eye. Well, someone actually; black hair, pale skin, runes hidden underneath long sleeves, and black baggy pants. The only difference is that Alec was holding a cigarette between his lips.

Clary walked over and placed her hands on her hips. Alec looked up at her, slight annoyed. "Yes, Mother?"

Clary rolled her eyes at being called 'Mother'. "Excuse me, but what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Smoking?" Alec asked, "Getting lung cancer? Burning a 'hole in my throat?' Giving cock roaches lung cancer? Sitting here?"

"Uh?" Clary wasn't sure what to say to that.

"Yeah. The cashier Johanna was in kindergarten with me. So she knows how old I am, so I get cigarettes." Alec said and shrugged.

"How do you know what kindergarten is?" Clary asked. She didn't believe that Alec, a Shadowhunter, knows what kindergarten is.

"I'm sorry." Alec said, flicking ashes off of his cigarette. He put it back in his mouth.

"For what?" Clary asked.

"For insulting you for being raised in the normal person world." Alec said. "That's what Shadowhunters expect of us. You can't be a 'mundane' and 'Downworlder' lover."

"What?" Clary asked. She wasn't getting what Alec is taking about.

"I was raised in the normal person world too." Alec said. "Come here. Sit down, listen to me talk." Alec patted the spot next to him. Clary did just that, a bit unsure of what's going on.

_He just admitted he grew up in the normal person world. What's going on?_ Clary thought.

"You see; it's like the segregation." Alec said.

_Wait! He's the innocent one, who doesn't know this shit._ Clary thought.

"Yeah. The 'Downworlders' are like the Irish. I'll get to that." Alec said. "And the 'mudanes' are like the blacks. The 'Downworlders' are supernatural too. It's the way the Americans treated the Irish. The Irish are white, but we enslaved them too and were racist to them. The 'mundanes' are the blacks because we're racist to them."

"Oh. Where does the segregation come in?" Clary asked.

"We sort of stay away from each other and treat the 'Downworlders' like subhumans, because of them having 'demon blood' in them." Alec stated.

"Oh." Clary said. "How do you know this?"

"I went to high school. I was in Mrs. Warren's class for World History and U.S. History." Alec said.

"I had Mrs. Warren too." Clary said. "Did you have to do those notebooks too?"

"Yes. I fell asleep." Alec said.

"I think she talked about that. She said something like, 'I know I'm boring, but try not to fall asleep on me, like one of my past students did.'" Clary said.

Alec smiled. "I'm glad she remembers me."

"What do you mean that you grew up in the mundane world?" Clary asked and cringed.

Alec did the same thing, "Don't say 'mundane' that's racist. It's like calling a black person the N-word. We have feelings too."

"Sorry." Clary said.

"I didn't know I was a Shadowhunter either. I found out that I'm actually half. Half normal person, half Shadowhunter. The runes work only half as well than when you're full Shadowhunter. I'm only half as good as the Shadowhunters, which is why I suck at fighting, badly. That's why I use a bow and arrow. Also you don't have to run up and worry about someone stabbing you." Alec explained.

"Your mom never told you that she was a Shadowhunter?" Clary asked.

"No. My dad was a Shadowhunter. It makes sense why he placed me in karate when I was four. So at least I have a bunch of fighting experience, before my parents died." Alec explained. He took a drag of his cigarette.

"How did they die?" Clary asked. "Too soon?"

"My parents were also having marriage problems too. My mom was having an affair with my dad's best man. My dad found out. My mom walked out on us when I was ten." Alec said. "My dad fell into a depression. He took drugs, drank, and went out on hunts."

"Ooh. It must be tough living with his abuse right?" Clary asked. She flinched at the death glare she received.

"Never. Assume. My dad. Was abusive. Again." Alec said, giving her the deadliest look.

"Sorry." Clary said. "If your dad was hunting, what did you assume his runes were for?"

"He told me that it was tattoos. For the record I offered to cook him food. I wanted to be a Master Chef." Alec said.

"What happened to your mom?" Clary asked.

"My dad died of an overdose when I was twelve. I was moved to my mom's house who she was married to my dad's best man. I hated her and him. She split up with my dad and hurt him. I sometimes heard him cry in his sleep and I watched him die." Alec said and wiped tears away. "My mom was sick."

"Sick how?" Clary asked. "Like mentally?"

"No. Psychically. It had to do with her liver." Alec said.

"Beer?" Clary said.

"No. I think it was liver cancer. She died when I was fourteen. My step-dad didn't know what to do. It was a mutual hatred. The Clave found out that my dad was a Shadowhunter. They came for me at night. My step-dad actually kind of fought for me and explained about school. I went between training with the Lightwoods, going to school, and visiting my step-dad. Visiting my step-dad ended when I was sixteen." Alec said.

"He died too?" Clary asked.

"No. He disowned me when he got this phone call when I was sixteen. 'Hey Jeff, can you come bail me out?'" Alec said and held his hand up like he was talking in a phone. "'Bail you out of what?' 'The police department.' 'No, deal with the consequences like a man for whatever the hell you did.' That was the last conversation we ever had. Then I had to move in with the Lightwoods two months later."

"What did you do?" Clary asked, stunned. This innocent guy? Has a police record? That doesn't fit at all.

"Four guys gave me twenty bucks each. Just to steal beer for them. That went on for two months, until I got caught. They never sold me out. They said so. I was sentenced two months in prison. They gave me a longer sentence, because I was tried as an adult, but was placed in Juvie because I was sixteen not eighteen." Alec explained.

"How?" Clary asked.

"I was born in the normal person world. I was in the system. I graduated high school though. So that's a plus." Alec said.

"Under what name?" Clary asked.

"Alexander Good. Or if you prefer 'Other Good' or 'The One Without The E.' It was because there was a girl in my class that has an E." Alec explained.

"Oh. I never saw you around." Clary said.

"I hung out with the stoners. I didn't get stoned, but I hung out with them. They didn't give a damn." Alec said and crunched out his cigarette. "I'm so fucking stressed right now."

"Why?" Clary asked.

"You know your boyfriend. Jace is a freaking stress ulcer." Alec said. "I'm like 'stop being so emo.' At least your adoptive parents don't resent you or your step-dad never disowned you."

"What do we mean, expect of us?" Clary asked, finally remembering what Alec said.

Alec sighed, "Once I came in the Institute, it's like they expect me to be racist against the normal people and 'Downworlders' despite that I grew up in the normal person world. The Shadowhunters expect that of you too. You feel pressured in it. I act like that around my adoptive family, but when I'm not around them, I'm nice to everyone. Including Simon. I told him about everything. He wanted you to find out on your own."

"Alec!" A girl said and Alec looked up confused.

"Person!" Alec replied and stood up. A girl about nineteen or eighteen ran up to Alec and hugged him. They stood there, hugging each other.

"We should hang out again soon." The girl said. "Have you been smoking again?"

"Just the one." Alec said.

"But we should still hang out again. Maybe at the laser tag arena or go-karts." The girl said.

"Laser tag. I'm still banned from the go-karts." Alec replied.

"Of course." The girl said and set the date. "Remember."

"Okay." Alec replied and the girl walked away.

Clary stood up. "Who was that?"

"That's Rachel. My ex-girlfriend. All the girls in the Shadowhunter World suck." Alec said and started to leave.

"Hey!" Clary shouted and Alec turned to face her. "Do you miss your real parents?"

Alec looked at the ground and back up at Clary. "Yeah. I miss my dad more than my mom. I hated her but I never wished death upon her. But I still miss them. I go to her grave. I sometimes see Jeff there, but we never talk. We leave the graveyard together, but go separate ways."

* * *

><p>AN: Yeah, my second Clary/Alec friendship fanfic.

I made Alec a smoker, so don't get mad at me for that. Alec stole alcohol to give to other guys who paid him. Sorry if this is a little jumpy.


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